JPH01247020A - Water supply switch and plant water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically supply water to plants, by equipping a switching means to produce on/off signal by vertical motion of balance pole provided with a spring means capable of adjusting application force. CONSTITUTION:When water level of a water receiver 7 reaches height of a water supply pipe 10 by water feed from a pipe 8, water is sent through the water supply pipe 10 to a water absorbing member 6 to make the water absorb ing member 6 wet. When the weight of the water in the water absorbing mem ber is increased, water supply is stopped from the pipe 8 when a water source side sends a regular amount of water. A balance pole 5 maintains a switch means 13 in a state of on. Then when water in the water receiver 7 is reduced to <= a fixed amount by water leakage, the side of the water receiver 7 is made lighter than the water absorbing member 6, the balance pole 5 is separated from the switch means 13 to set the switch at off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an automatic water supply device used in gardening in general.

[Conventional technology]

In greenhouse gardening, home gardening, etc., it is necessary to supply water to plants. However, the timing and amount of water supply is easily affected by the weather, and conventionally relied mainly on human labor.

Problems to be Solved by Invention C] However, in greenhouse horticulture, labor costs are required to supply water, and in home horticulture, water supply may not be possible due to travel or going out.

The present invention was made in view of these facts, and provides a water supply device for plants that can automatically supply the required amount of water when water is needed, and a water supply switch that determines the timing of water supply used in the device. is intended to provide.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the water supply switch of the present invention has the following features:
A water-absorbing member is locked to one end of a balance culm that is pivotally supported near the center, a water receiver having a water leakage control means is provided at the other end, and water is supplied from the water receiver to the water-absorbing member. A water pipe is provided, and a spring means whose biasing force can be adjusted is provided to change the balance weight of the balance culm, and is turned on by vertical movement of the balance culm.

The configuration includes a switch means for generating an off signal.

In addition, the water supply device for plants of the present invention uses the water supply switch described above, and a plurality of water supply pipes for supplying water to plants, etc. are provided in a conduit piped to a water storage tank via a solenoid valve, and water is supplied from the water supply pipes. The electromagnetic valve is configured to be received by a water receiver of a water supply switch, and to open and close the solenoid valve in response to an on/off signal from a switch means.

It is preferable that a timer contact be inserted in series with the switch contact in the circuit connecting the switch means and the solenoid valve.

Alternatively, an auxiliary tank may be provided separately from the water storage tank, and the bottoms of both tanks may be connected so as to communicate with each other.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a water supply switch 1, in which 2 is a frame of the water supply switch, 3 is a support for a balance, and 4 is a shaft of the balance. Reference numeral 5 denotes a balance culm, and a water-absorbent member 6 made of several layers of gauze is hung on one end of the balance culm. A water receiver 7 is fixed to the other end of the balance culm 5 and receives water from an upper pipe 8.

A hole 9'' is bored in the bottom of the water receiver 7.
A water leakage member 9' made of a lamp wick or the like is attached to the hole 9' and the water leakage member 9' constitutes a water leakage adjustment means 9. The water leakage time can be adjusted widely from a short time to a long time by changing the diameter of the hole 9'' at the bottom and the amount of the water leakage member 9', and the time can be adjusted accurately from 1 minute to 60 minutes. A water supply pipe 10 is attached to the upper edge side, so that the water accumulated in the water receiver 7 can be supplied to the water absorbing member 6.The reference numeral 11 is a spring means that is used to turn the knob 12 in the direction of the arrow. The balance load of the culm 5 can be adjusted.

When the side of the water receiver 7 of the balance culm 5 becomes heavier and lowers, the balance culm 5 presses the micro switch as the switch means 13 to turn on the switch, and when the side of the water receiver 7 becomes lighter and rises, the switch is turned off. become.

The initial state of the water supply switch is such that the water absorbing member 6 is dry to a predetermined state and there is no water in the water receiver 7. The weight of the water absorbent member 6 when it reaches a predetermined dry state is
Water receiver without water 70 Knob so that it is lighter than the weight 12
If the biasing force of the spring hand i11 is adjusted by turning , when this initial state is reached, the water receiver 7 side of the balance culm 4 will be lowered and the switch means 13 will be turned on. In response to the switch-on signal, a solenoid valve (not shown) is opened, water starts to be supplied from the pipe 8, and water begins to accumulate in the water receiver 7. The water accumulated in the water receiver 7 moistens the water leakage member 9', and
Drops 14 from the tip of the water leakage member 9' protruding outward from the
The liquid then passes through the hole 2' of the frame 2 and drips to the outside. When the water in the water receiver 7 increases due to the water supply from the pipe 8 and the water level reaches the height of the water supply pipe 1O, the water is sent to the water absorbent member 6 through the water supply pipe 10.
moisten. When the water absorbing member 6 absorbs water, the amount of electricity increases. When the water source sends a specified amount of water, the pipe 8
Water supply from the culm is stopped, and the balance culm 5 keeps the switch means 13 turned on.

At this time, the water absorbing member 6 has reached a state where it has sufficiently absorbed water. The water in the water receiver 7 continues to leak after this due to the water leakage adjustment means 9, and when the water in the water receiver 7 becomes less than a certain amount, the water receiver 7 side becomes water absorbent which has absorbed enough moisture. It becomes lighter than the member 6, the balance culm 5 separates from the switch means 13, and the switch is turned off, and the solenoid valve (not shown) is closed.

The water leak regulating means 9 continues to leak water and empties the water receiver 7.

The water-absorbing member 6 gradually evaporates the absorbed moisture by absorbing heat from its surroundings depending on the weather conditions, and finally returns to a predetermined dry state, returns to its initial state, and is turned on. The gauze as the water-absorbing member 6 is dyed black to improve heat absorption, so it is highly sensitive to direct sunlight, and the amount of evaporation on a clear day is about 1:3 compared to a completely cloudy day. .

As explained above, the water absorbing member 6 functions as a weather sensor because it determines the timing of water supply according to the weather, and the water leakage regulating means 9 is switched on by adjusting the amount of water leakage. It functions as a timer because the length of time it stays can be changed.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a water supply device using the water supply switch 1 described above, and FIG. 3(a) is a wiring diagram of this device. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 15 denotes a water storage tank, and a water supply pipe 17 is installed so that the water level is partially maintained by a float valve 16. A solenoid valve 18 that is closed when energized is provided on the upstream side of the float valve 16 of the water supply pipe 17. A pipe 19 is piped below the water storage tank 15, and the water storage tank 1 of the pipe 19
A solenoid valve 20 that opens when energized is provided near 5. A plurality of water supply pipes 8 are provided branching off from the conduit 19, one of which supplies water to the water receiver 7 of the water supply switch 1.

In FIG. 3(a), 13' is the switch contact of the switch means 13, and 18' and 20' are the solenoid valves 18.
20 solenoid coils.

As explained in FIG. 1, when the switch means 13 of the water supply switch 1 is turned on, the solenoid valve 18 is closed and water supply to the water storage tank 15 is stopped. On the other hand, since the solenoid valve 20 is opened, the water in the water storage tank passes through the solenoid valve 20, reaches the pipe 19, passes through each water supply vibrator 8, and is supplied to plants (not shown). One of the water supply vibrators 8 supplies water to the water receiver 7 as described above, and the water leakage control means starts leaking water.

Since the solenoid valve 18 is closed, the water supply ends when the water in the water storage tank 15 is discharged, but the water receiver 7
There is still water inside and it is turned on.

The water receiver 7 continues to leak water after that, and eventually the balance of the balance culm 5 is reversed and the switch is turned off. When the switch is turned off, the solenoid valve 20 is closed, while the solenoid valve 18 is opened, so that water is supplied into the water storage tank 15, and the water is supplied to a predetermined level by the float valve.

Since it operates as described above, the water supply switch l
The set time of the timer must be set to be longer than the time required to release the water in the water storage tank.

The water supply device shown in FIG. 2 includes a water absorbing member 6 as a weather sensor.
Once it dries to a predetermined condition, water will be supplied day and night. However, as a common knowledge in gardening, it is said that the best time to supply water is around 10:00 in the morning, and it is not desirable to water at night. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, etc., the cam 21a of the 24-hour timer 21 is turned on in series with the switch contact 13' of the electric circuit.

A contact 22 to be turned off is connected. The cam 21a has a circular shape, has a recess 21b formed in a part of its circumference, and rotates once every 24 hours. The cam follower 21C is coupled to the support culm 21d, and the support culm 21d has one end rotatably supported and the other end connected to the cam follower 2 by a coil spring 21e.
The support culm 21d, which is supported so that the cam 1C is in pressure contact with the cam surface of the cam 21a, is partially connected to the switch contact 22, and the tip of the cam follower 21c is indented into the recess 21b. do. That is, the switch contact 22 remains switched on for a period of time corresponding to T in FIG. 3). Here, if the switch-on start time is set at 10 a.m. and the end time is set at 1 p.m., even if a predetermined dry state is reached during the night, water will be supplied until 10 a.m. the next day. Also, if the predetermined dry state has not been reached at 10 a.m., it will remain in a standby position until 1 p.m., and if the predetermined dry state has been reached during this time, it will start supplying water. By using the timer 21 in this way, it becomes possible to supply water only at times that are favorable for plants.

FIG. 4(a) shows an embodiment in which a large amount of water is required and the capacity of the water storage tank 15 alone is insufficient, and another auxiliary tank 23 is connected in communication at the bottom. In this way, a large amount of water can be supplied.

FIG. 4(b) shows an embodiment in which water is supplied from a large tank 24 instead of using the water supply source.

FIGS. 5(a) to 5(C) are graphs showing the relationship between the elapse of drying time and the change in weight of the water absorbent member 6 as a weather sensor used in the apparatus shown in FIG. In these figures, the vertical axis is the weight of the water-absorbing member, the horizontal axis is the elapsed time, and the curve F
(t) indicates the weight of the water-absorbing member 6 at a given elapsed time. Note that gauze for the water-absorbing member 6 was dyed black. The H level of weight is the weight of the water-absorbing member 6 that has sufficiently absorbed water immediately after water is supplied, and is set to 120 g, which is the weight that allows the balance culm 5 in FIG. 1 to be turned over. The L level is the weight in a predetermined dry state, and the biasing force of the spring 11 is adjusted so that when this weight reaches 30 g, the water supply switch shown in FIG. 1 is turned on.

L lebel is the dry weight of the gauze used as the water absorbent member 6. Regarding the time axis, for convenience of explanation, it is set to be the same as the normal time, not the number of elapsed hours.
A vertical line is drawn at each hour so that you can immediately tell how many days have passed. The shaded area is the time when the 24-hour timer is turned on, which is set between 10:00 and 13:00.

When the curve F (t) reaches the point where it intersects the L level,
As described above, the water supply switch shown in FIG. 1 is turned on, and the contact 13' shown in FIG. 3 is turned on. However, water will not be supplied unless the intersection is in the shaded area in the diagram, that is, during the time period when the contact 22 of the 24-hour timer is on. The water absorbent member 6 continues to dry, and when it reaches the next shaded area, water supply starts. When water is supplied, the water absorbent member 6 reaches a weight of H level.

FIG. 5(a) shows a case where the weather continues to be sunny and water is supplied every day or every other day.

(b) shows a case where cloudy skies continued, and the drying rate of the plant medium was slower than under clear skies, and the watering cycle was also reduced to about once every three days.

(C) is a case of continuous rainy weather. If the cultivation is done outdoors, there is no need to supply water, but since the cultivation is done indoors, such as in a plastic greenhouse, the cycle is slightly longer than in the case of cloudy weather, about once every four days. Water was provided.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, since the water supply switch is configured to have a weather sensor function, it is possible not only to automatically supply water to plants, but also to adjust the timing of water supply according to the weather. The interval can be changed. Furthermore, the water supply amount can be freely set using the timer function of the water leakage adjustment means of the water supply switch. If a timer is provided in conjunction with the water supply switch, water can be supplied at a desired time, and furthermore, by using an auxiliary tank, the desired amount of water can be ensured.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1(a) is a block diagram of one embodiment of the water supply switch of the present invention, (b) is a side view of only the water absorbing member, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a water supply device using the water supply switch of Fig. 1. , Figure 3 (a) is a wiring diagram showing an example of the electrical wiring in Figure 2, (b) is a wiring diagram when a timer is connected to (a), and Figure 4.
Figure (a) is a configuration diagram showing the state in which an auxiliary tank is connected when the amount of water supplied is large; Figure 5 (a) is a configuration diagram when water is supplied from a large tank; It is a graph showing the relationship between drying time and weight of a sex member. l... Water supply switch, 5... Balance culm, 6... Water absorbing member, 7... Water receiver, butt... Water supply pipe, 9...
Water leakage control device, 10...Water pipe, 11...Spring means, 13...Switch means, 15...Water storage tank, 16...Float valve, 18.20...Solenoid valve, 2
3... Auxiliary tank. Patent applicant: Saginomiya Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (t)) (G) Figure 1/ (b) (a) (b) Procedural amendment (voluntary) May 25, 1988 Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office No. J1 Jll, 73 Husband 1
, Indication of the case Patent Application No. 073107 of 1988 2) Name of the invention Water supply switch and water supply device for plants 3, Person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant address No. 5, Wakamiya 2-chome, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Name Stocks Company Saginomiya Seisakusho 4, Agent 8, Master of amendment Contents of amendment as attached (Patent Application 1983-073107) 1. The description of the "Scope of Claims" in the specification is amended as follows. Note (1) A water-absorbing member is locked to one end of a balance culm that is pivotally supported near the center, a water receiver having a water leakage control means is provided at the other end, and the water-absorbing member is disposed from the water receiver. A water pipe for supplying water to the member is provided, a spring means whose biasing force can be adjusted to change the balance weight of the balance culm is provided, and a switch means is provided to generate an on/off signal by vertical movement of the balance culm. A water supply switch featuring (2) Using the water supply switch according to claim 1, a plurality of water supply pipes for supplying water to plants, etc. are provided in a conduit piped to a water storage tank via a solenoid valve, and water is supplied from the water supply pipes. A water supply device for plants, characterized in that the water supply switch is received in a water receiver, and the solenoid valve is opened and closed by an on/off signal from a switch means. (3) A water supply device for plants according to claim 2, characterized in that a timer contact is inserted in series with the switch contact in the circuit connecting the switch means and the solenoid valve. (4) The water supply device for plants as set forth in the claims, characterized in that an auxiliary tank is provided separately from the water storage tank, and the bottoms of both tanks are connected in a communicating state.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A water-absorbing member is locked to one end of a balance culm that is pivotally supported near the center, a water receiver having a water leakage control means is provided at the other end, and the water-absorbing member is connected to the water receiver from the water receiver. A water pipe is provided to supply water to the culm, a spring means whose biasing force can be adjusted is provided to change the balance weight of the balance culm, and a switch means is provided which generates an on/off signal by vertical movement of the balance culm. Features a water supply switch. (2) Using the water supply switch according to claim 1, a plurality of water supply pipes for supplying water to plants, etc. are provided in a conduit piped to a water storage tank via a solenoid valve, and water is supplied from the water supply pipes. A water supply device for plants, characterized in that the water supply switch is received in a water receiver, and the solenoid valve is opened and closed by an on/off signal from a switch means. (3) A water supply device for plants according to claim 2, characterized in that a timer contact is inserted in series with the switch contact in the circuit connecting the switch means and the solenoid valve. (4) A water supply device for plants according to claim 2, 3, or 4, characterized in that an auxiliary tank is provided separately from the water storage tank, and the bottoms of both tanks are connected in a communicating state. .